In this article, we will be taking a look at the 25 most health-conscious cities in the U.S. If you wish to see the top ones, head straight to the 5 Most Health-Conscious Cities in the U.S.
Obesity—a medical condition in which a person has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more—is influenced by a wide range of factors, including overeating, lack of physical activity, metabolism, genetics, culture, and poor dietary choices. Some of the serious health consequences of carrying extra fat include osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some types of cancer.
The prevalence of obesity is a significant health concern in the United States. According to information gathered by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 2017 and 2020, 41.9% of adults in the country have obesity. Moreover, the annual cost of obesity to the US healthcare system is close to $173 billion.
The obesity treatment market is assisting obese people in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the likelihood of developing obesity-related problems. According to a report by Market Research Future, the obesity treatment market was valued at $10.8 billion in 2022. The market is anticipated to grow from $12.6 billion in 2023 and expand at a compound annual growth rate of 16.8% from 2023 to 2032, reaching a value of $32.3 billion at the conclusion of the predicted period. The key factors influencing the market's expansion are poor eating habits and inactive lifestyles. Per the report, the obesity treatment market in North America, which had a market value of $4.94 billion in 2022, is anticipated to experience the fastest growth throughout the forecasted period.
A December 2022 Gallup Panel survey of 1,803 adults aged 18 and older revealed that 7 in 10 Americans planned to establish goals for 2023, and a whopping 80% of those goal-setters intended to adopt personal health or fitness goals.
Moreover, we previously reported that a survey conducted by Nutrisystem and OnePoll in September 2022 found that more than 70% of Americans were now more health-conscious post the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 60% of the respondents were inspired to lose weight after learning how their weight affected their immunity.
Meanwhile, medicines to treat obesity are all the rage these days, and a recent survey from KFF found that almost half of Americans adults (45%) expressed interest in using safe and effective prescription weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.
Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO), a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, is the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy. Both drugs contain the same active component, semaglutide. However, only Wegovy has the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of obesity since it contains a higher dose of semaglutide (2.4mg). As of August 28, the stock has returned 36.12% to investors on a year-to-date basis.
Furthermore, on August 8, Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) announced that a weekly Wegovy (semaglutide) dose of 2.4 mg lowered the risk of major adverse cardiovascular event by 20% in a five-year study called SELECT, which involved 17,604 overweight or obese people with a history of heart disease aged 45 years or older with no prior history of diabetes.
Another drug, Tirzepatide, currently approved only for type 2 diabetes, is sold by Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) under the brand name Mounjaro. In July, the company shared results of two phase 3 tirzepatide studies in patients who were obese or overweight but did not have type 2 diabetes. The drug maker’s SURMOUNT-3 and SURMOUNT-4 trials showed that when taking tirzepatide (Mounjaro), patients with obesity experienced 26.6% mean weight loss.
Here is what Baron Health Care Fund had to say about Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in its Q2 2023 investor letter:
“Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company developing and marketing drugs in oncology, diabetes, Alzheimer's, immunology, and other diseases. Shares climbed due to continued investor excitement around novel weight loss drugs in the GLP-1 class, including Lilly’s Mounjaro. Given demand that is orders of magnitude more than supply, the full potential of the GLP-1 class of drugs remains unclear, with sales projections eclipsing $100 billion. This number would set a new industry record by a large margin. Drug development in this space is understandably fierce, and as recently as late June, Eli Lilly revealed new data from its diabetes/obesity pipeline assets that will further enhance the value proposition offered to patients. We retain conviction.
Most and Least Fit Large U.S. Cities
Engaging in physical exercise is the single most important thing people can do for their health. Regular exercise has been demonstrated to lower the risk of weight gain. Additionally, it can improve sleep quality, lower stress levels, lift people's spirits, enhance their mental functioning, and protect them from a number of serious illnesses.
Although the benefits of physical activity are well known, only about 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. fully meet the recommendations for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities, based on CDC’s data. Inactivity contributes to 1 in 10 premature deaths in the country, burdening the health care system with an estimated $117 billion per year.
Not everyone can achieve good health and fitness on their own. Your level of health and activity can vary depending on where you reside. Some cities in the U.S. have the ideal blend of resources to get you moving and support your fitness.
The 16th annual American Fitness Index, a collaboration between the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Elevance Health Foundation, ranked the 100 largest cities in the United States using 34 personal and community health indicators. The index identified Arlington, Virginia as the fittest city in the country, followed by Washington, D.C., Seattle, Minneapolis, and Irvine, California. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Oklahoma City was ranked as America’s least fit city. Other cities at the bottom included Wichita, Kansas, Bakersfield, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
For instance, Arlington, Virginia is renowned for having health-conscious citizens who engage in regular physical activity and has the greatest percentage of individuals who live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Similarly, residents of Washington generally pay attention to their health by consuming fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, 99% of residents live within a 10-minute stroll of one of the city's 683 parks.
In contrast, Oklahoma City, which has one of the highest rates of high blood pressure, has less availability of community parks (260 in total) and recreation that can support active living.
Having said that, let’s take a look at the most health-conscious cities in the U.S.
We went through three different reports to determine the list of the most health-conscious cities in the U.S. These included 2023’s Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America from WalletHub, the American College of Sports Medicine’s 2023 American Fitness Index, and WalletHub’s 2023's Best & Worst Cities for an Active Lifestyle.
We chose the cities that appeared in all three of the aforementioned reports. We then proceeded to assign a score to these cities based on their rankings for each report. For instance, there are a total of 100 cities in the American College of Sports Medicine’s report. The #1 city in that report will get a score of 100/100=1, #2 city will get a score of 99/100=0.99 and so on. We repeated the same scoring methodology for the other two reports.
The overall score for each city was calculated by adding up its individual scores in each report. Finally, we sorted the cities by their overall scores and identified the 25 most health-conscious cities in the U.S. The cities are ranked in ascending order of their overall scores.
Cincinnati, located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, is one of the most health-conscious cities in the U.S. on our list. In 2020, only 7.3% of adults in the city lacked health insurance.
24. Orlando, Florida
Overall Score: 2.20
Orlando is located in the 'Sunshine State' of Florida. According to WalletHub's report on 2023's Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America, the city is ranked twenty-fifth in the nation for overall health.
23. Oakland, California
Overall Score: 2.24
Oakland, located on the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay, is one of the most health-conscious cities in the U.S. 89% of the city's residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, according to the Trust for Public Land (TPL).
22. Sacramento, California
Overall Score: 2.25
Sacramento is home to numerous hospitals and medical facilities, including the UC Davis Medical Centre, Mercy General Hospital, Sutter Medical Centre, and Mercy San Juan Medical Centre, which provide top-notch care to the local population.
21. Los Angeles, California
Overall Score: 2.27
Los Angeles, one of the most health-conscious cities in the U.S., is situated between the San Gabriel Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. More than half of the city's residents work out for 90 minutes or more each week.
20. Miami, Florida
Overall Score: 2.31
According to a WalletHub research, Miami, a coastal metropolis and the seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, is the fourteenth best city in the nation for leading an active lifestyle.
There are countless opportunities in the city to stay active and fit, including playing sports, working out in a gym, or exercising outdoors.
19. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Overall Score: 2.35
Pittsburgh, in western Pennsylvania, is one of the most health-conscious cities in the U.S. Nearly 96% of its residents have health insurance.
18. Tampa, Florida
Overall Score: 2.39
Tampa, a city on Tampa Bay, along Florida’s Gulf Coast, boasts a life expectancy of 78.9 years.
17. Saint Paul, Minnesota
Overall Score: 2.41
Saint Paul, one of the most health-conscious cities in the U.S., is situated in the southeastern part of the state of Minnesota. According to the American College of Sports Medicine’s 2023 American Fitness Index, it is the eighth fittest large city in the nation.
In addition, the city is home to the second-best park system in the country, according to new rankings from the Trust for Public Land (TPL).
16. San Jose, California
Overall Score: 2.52
San Jose, a significant technology hub in California's Bay Area, has 257 physicians per 100,000 citizens (higher than the nation's average of 210 doctors per 100,000 residents).
15. Austin, Texas
Overall Score: 2.58
Austin is situated in Central Texas on the Colorado River. According to WalletHub's report on 2023's Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America, the city is ranked fourteenth in the nation for overall health.
14. Boston, Massachusetts
Overall Score: 2.64
The capital of Massachusetts, Boston, topped the list of the nation's most walkable cities, as we previously reported. Around 17% of Boston residents bike or walk to work.
13. Portland, Oregon
Overall Score: 2.68
Based on recent research from WalletHub, Portland, located in the north-west of the state of Oregon, is among the top 10healthiest cities in the U.S. It ranked first among more than 180 of the most populated cities in the country for its healthy restaurants per capita and seventh for its share of physically active adults.
12. Washington, DC
Overall Score: 2.69
According to the American College of Sports Medicine’s 2023 American Fitness Index, Washington, DC is the second fittest large city in the nation. The city offers a lot of parks and residents that are committed to living healthy lifestyles.
11. Chicago, Illinois
Overall Score: 2.71
Chicago, one of the most health-conscious cities in the U.S., is located in northeastern Illinois on the southwestern shores of freshwater Lake Michigan. Residents in the city prioritize getting enough rest, and 76% of them exercise at least once every week.
10. New York City, New York
Overall Score: 2.72
New York City is the third best city in the U.S. for leading an active lifestyle, according to WalletHub research. The city has an active population and plenty of open places for biking, skating, jogging, walking, and other forms of exercise.
9. Atlanta, Georgia
Overall Score: 2.73
Atlanta, the capital of the state of Georgia, is one of the most health-conscious cities in the U.S. More than half of the city's residents exercise for at least 90 minutes or more each week.
8. Irvine, California
Overall Score: 2.75
Irvine is among the top 10healthiest cities in the U.S., according to WalletHub's report on 2023's Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America. The city offers easy access to parks, open spaces, and bike routes, which helps keep its citizens active.
94% of residents live within a 10-minute stroll of one of the city's 339 parks.
7. Madison, Wisconsin
Overall Score: 2.78
The capital of Wisconsin, Madison, is among the healthiest and fittest cities in the U.S. due to its low rate of uninsured individuals, high ratio of doctors, plenty of recreational opportunities, and highly active population.
6. San Diego, California
Overall Score: 2.79
San Diego, a city on the Pacific coast of California known for its beaches, parks and warm climate, has a high number of residents (78%) who exercise at least once a week, with yoga being the most coveted workout.
Additionally, San Diegans spend an average of $358 on fitness, beauty, and wellness each month. It is one of the most health-conscious cities in the U.S.
